Air mattress controller

ABSTRACT

The pressure of air to be fed into each of air cells ( 51 - 54 ) of an air mattress body ( 50 ) is selected by an air pressure selector ( 12 ) based on body information entered through an entry control panel ( 20 ), thereby adjusting the mattress hardness. Meanwhile, an operating mode selector switch ( 17 ) selects one of a rest mode and a pressure switch mode as an operating mode of the air mattress body ( 50 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to air mattress controllers which are adequate to prevent bed sores (decubitus ulcers) tending to develop, in particular, in bedridden patients.

BACKGROUND ART

Bed sores are localized cellular necrosis occurring in pressure areas of the patient's body, mainly in bony prominences thereof, and are often caused by constriction of blood flow to capillary vessels due to prolonged localized pressure applied to the body. Bedridden patients often feel pressures and pain on their bony prominences even without developing bed sores.

To inhibit or reduce such symptoms, for example, PATENT DOCUMENT 1 describes an air mattress having an internal pressure which can be selected based on BMI (body mass index) calculated using the weight and height of a user of the air mattress. Here, if the user is obese, pressures may be applied to some areas of the user's body due to the weight of the human body by selecting the air pressure of the air mattress only based on the user's weight without consideration of the user's height, leading to decubitus ulcers. However, PATENT DOCUMENT 1 describes that, in the technique of PATENT DOCUMENT 1, the air pressure of the air mattress can be appropriately selected not only based on the user's weight but based on the user's body shape to inhibit or reduce decubitus ulcers.

PATENT DOCUMENT 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-290297

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

However, a known air mattress controller determines the hardness of an air mattress only based on the BMI calculated using the user's height and weight, and thus, the air mattress may be uncomfortable to the user under some body conditions. Specifically, when the situations where the user is suffering from pains in his or her joints and where the user has developed bed sores are imagined, the body conditions of the user include various symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Even when the air mattress having the determined hardness is comfortable to users experiencing mild symptoms, it may increase the severity of bed sores developing in users experiencing severe symptoms.

The prevent invention has been made in view of the foregoing point, and an object thereof is to enable selection of the pressure of air which is to be fed into an air mattress and is appropriate to users under various body conditions.

Solution to the Problem

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is configured to select the pressure of air to be fed into each of air cells based on body information indicating the conditions of the user's body.

Specifically, the present invention is directed to an air mattress controller for feeding air into a plurality of air cells forming an air mattress body, and has implemented the following solutions.

Specifically, according to a first aspect of the invention, the air mattress controller includes: an entry controller for entering body information indicating body conditions of a user; an air pressure selector for selecting the pressure of air to be fed into each of the air cells, based on the body information entered through the entry controller; and an air feeder for feeding air into each of the air cells at the air pressure selected by the air pressure selector.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the pressure of air to be fed into each of the air cells is selected based on the body information indicating the body conditions of the user. This enables careful selection of the air pressure of the air mattress in response to the body conditions of the user, and can provide an air mattress which is comfortable to every user. Specifically, when the situations where the user is suffering from pains in his or her joints and where the user has developed bed sores are imagined, the body conditions of the user include various symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Even when the air mattress having the determined hardness is comfortable to users experiencing mild symptoms, it may increase the severity of bed sores developing in users experiencing severe symptoms. However, according to the present invention, for example, when user's various body information (such as whether or not the user is suffering from contracture, whether or not the user is suffering from edema, and whether or not the user is suffering from bed sores) is entered through the entry controller, the risk of bed sores is determined based on the body information. This enables selection of the pressure of air to be fed into the air mattress based on the body conditions. Thus, the hardness of the air mattress is automatically adjusted, for example, so that when the risk of bed sores is high, the mattress becomes soft.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the air mattress controller of the first aspect of the invention further includes a calculator for calculating a risk of bed sores indicating whether or not the user tends to develop bed sores, based on the body information entered through the entry controller. The air pressure selector selects the pressure of air to be fed into each of the air cells, based on the risk of bed sores calculated by the calculator, thereby adjusting the hardness of the air mattress body.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the air pressure selector selects the pressure of air to be fed into each of the air cells, based on the risk of bed sores calculated by the calculator, thereby adjusting the hardness of the air mattress body. Therefore, for example, when user's various body information (such as whether or not the user is suffering from contracture, whether or not the user is suffering from edema, and whether or not the user is suffering from bed sores) is entered through the entry controller, the risk of bed sores is determined based on the body information. Thus, the air pressure is automatically selected as follows: when the risk of bed sores is high, the mattress becomes soft; and when the risk of bed sores is low, the air mattress becomes hard or is of normal hardness. In this manner, the hardness of the air mattress can be easily adjusted based on the body conditions.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the air mattress controller of the first or second aspect of the invention further includes an operating mode selector switch for selectively switching between a rest mode where air is fed into the air cells at generally a same pressure so that a surface of the air mattress body becomes generally flat, and a pressure switch mode where while air is fed into the plurality of air cells at different pressures so that the surface of the air mattress body is formed with projections and depressions, the pressures of air to be fed into the plurality of air cells are changed once every predetermined time interval to periodically change locations of surface regions of the air mattress body which are formed with the projections and the depressions. The operating mode selector switch selects one of the rest mode and the pressure switch mode based on the body information.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the operating mode selector switch switches, based on the body information, between a rest mode and a pressure switch mode. In the rest mode, the surface of the air mattress body becomes generally flat. In the pressure switch mode, the locations of surface regions of the air mattress which are formed with projections and depressions arising from the difference among the internal pressures of the air cells are periodically changed. This enables selection of an appropriate operating mode in response to the user's body conditions, for example, in the following manner: when information indicating that the user is feeling pain is entered through the entry controller, the rest mode is preferably selected, thereby stopping expansion or deflation of the air cells to reduce the user's pain.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in any one of the first through third aspects of the invention, at least one of the plurality of air cells forms a mattress thickness adjustment layer for adjusting the thickness of the air mattress body. The body information entered through the entry controller include rolling-over ability information indicating whether or not the user can roll over by himself or herself. When a determination is made based on the rolling-over ability information that the user can roll over, the air pressure selector selects a low air pressure as the pressure of air to be fed into the air cell forming the mattress thickness adjustment layer, and when a determination is made that the user cannot roll over, the air pressure selector selects a high air pressure as the pressure of air to be fed into the air cell forming the mattress thickness adjustment layer.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the thickness of the air mattress body is adjusted by the air pressure selector, based on the rolling-over ability information indicating whether or not the user can roll over by himself or herself. This can provide an air mattress comfortable to air mattress users under various body conditions in the following manner: when the user can roll over, the pressures of air to be fed into the air cells are adjusted so that the air mattress becomes thin enough to facilitate rolling over of the user; and when the user cannot roll over, the air pressures are adjusted so that the air mattress becomes thick enough to prevent bed sores.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the air mattress controller of any one of the first through fourth aspects of the invention further includes a dehumidifier for blowing air to a surface of the air mattress body or into the air mattress body to dehumidify the surface or interior of the air mattress body. The body information entered through the entry controller include sweating information indicating an amount of sweat produced by the user, and the dehumidifier adjusts an amount of the air to be blown based on the sweating information.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the amount of air for dehumidification to be blown to the air mattress is adjusted by the dehumidifier, based on the sweating information indicating the amount of sweat produced by the user. Therefore, the entry of the amount of sweat produced by the user can make it easy to select the amount of air to be blown to the air mattress by the dehumidifier, for example, in the following manner: when information indicating that the amount of sweat produce by the user is large is entered through the entry controller, the pressure of air to be blown to the air mattress by the dehumidifier is set high; and when information indicating that the amount of sweat produced by the user is small is entered, the pressure of air to be blown to the air mattress is set low.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

As described above, according to the present invention, the pressures of air to be fed into the air cells are selected based on body information indicating the body conditions of the user (such as whether or not the user is suffering from contracture, whether or not the user is suffering from edema, and whether or not the user is suffering from bed sores). This enables careful selection of the air pressure of the air mattress body in response to the body conditions of the user, and can provide an air mattress which is comfortable to every user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an air mattress controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of an air mattress body.

FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 when the air mattress body is thin.

FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 when the air mattress body is operated in a pressure switch mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of keys of an entry control panel.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of selection of some keys from the keys of the entry control panel.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of selection of some other keys from the keys of the entry control panel.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

-   -   (10) AIR MATTRESS CONTROLLER     -   (11) CONTROLLER (CALCULATOR)     -   (12) AIR PRESSURE SELECTOR     -   (13) AIR FEEDER     -   (15) DEHUMIDIFIER     -   (17) OPERATING MODE SELECTOR SWITCH     -   (20) ENTRY CONTROL PANEL (ENTRY CONTROLLER)     -   (50) AIR MATTRESS BODY     -   (51-54) AIR CELL

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings. The following preferred embodiment is merely an example in nature, and is not intended to limit the scope, applications, and use of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an air mattress controller according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of an air mattress body. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air mattress controller 10 is used to feed air into a plurality of bag-like air cells 51-54 forming an air mattress body 50. The air mattress controller 10 includes an entry control panel (entry controller) 20 used to enter body information indicating the body conditions (e.g., whether or not the user can roll over, whether or not the user is feeling pain, and whether or not the user is suffering from bed sores, as described below), a controller (calculator) 11 for determining various settings based on the body information entered through the entry control panel 20, an air pressure selector 12 for selecting the pressures of air to be fed into the air cells 51-54 based on the entered body information, an air feeder 13 for feeding air into the air cells 51-54 based on the values selected by the air pressure selector 12, a distribution valve 14 for distributing the air fed from the air feeder 13 into the air cells 51-54, a dehumidifier 15 for dehumidifying a surface of the air mattress body 50, and an operating mode selector switch 17 for selecting an operating mode of the air mattress body 50.

The entry control panel 20 is configured so that an operator, such as a caregiver or a nurse, enters body information indicating the air mattress user's current body conditions by operating keys of the entry control panel 20 in a predetermined manner. The user's body information can be easily entered into the entry control panel 20 by simply selecting candidate options best matching the user's body conditions via entry keys 22. This will be described below in detail.

The controller 11 includes a central processing unit (CPU), and a memory in which a control program is stored. The controller 11 calculates the pressures of air to be fed into the air cells 51-54 from the risk of bed sores, etc., determined based on the body information entered through the entry control panel 20, selects an operating mode of the air cells 51-54, and switches between opening and closing operations of valves, such as the distribution valve 14 and an electromagnetic valve 16. Values measured by an unillustrated pressure sensor for measuring the internal pressures of the air cells 51-54 are entered into the controller 11. Thus, each of the air cells 51-54 is controlled so as to be kept at a predetermined internal pressure.

The air pressure selector 12 is used to select the pressures of air to be fed into the air cells 51-54. Specifically, it selects the air pressures calculated by the controller 11 based on the body information entered through the entry control panel 20.

The air feeder 13 is used to feed air into the air cells 51-54 at the air pressures selected by the air pressure selector 12, and includes, for example, an air pump.

The distribution valve 14 is used to control the air feed into the air cells 51-54 by opening or closing the valve 14, and is connected at one end to the air cells 51-54 while being connected at the other end to the air feeder 13.

The dehumidifier 15 is used to dehumidify the air mattress body 50 by blowing air to the surface of the air mattress body 50 or into the air mattress body 50 when the user lying on the air mattress body 50 has sweated. The dehumidifier 15 includes an air pump for blowing air, and dehumidifies the air mattress body 50 on reception of a dehumidification signal from the controller 11.

The operating mode selector switch 17 selectively switches between a rest mode and a pressure switch mode. In the rest mode, the internal pressures of the air cells 53 and 54 are fixed by feeding air into the air cells 53 and 54 at generally the same pressure, and thus, the surface of the air mattress body 50 becomes generally flat. In the pressure switch mode, air is fed into the adjacent air cells 53 and 54 at different pressures, and thus, the surface of the air mattress body 50 is formed with projections and depressions. Meanwhile, the pressures of air to be fed into the adjacent air cells 53 and 54 are changed once every predetermined time interval, thereby periodically changing the locations of surface regions of the air mattress body 50 which are formed with the projections and depressions (see FIG. 4).

Specifically, the switching between these operating modes is based on the body information entered through the entry control panel 20. For example, when the user is suffering from physical pain, or when a determination is made that the risk of bed sores is high, the rest mode is selected. When a determination is made that the risk of bed sores is low, the pressure switch mode is selected. Since the risk of bed sores can be thus reduced, the switching between these operating modes in the above-mentioned manner is preferable.

In this embodiment, a structure has been described in which the pressure switch mode is provided by feeding air into the adjacent air cells 53 and 54 of two systems at different pressures. However, this structure is not restrictive. For example, the number of systems of air cells may be further increased, e.g., to three, four, or more, thereby allowing greater variation in the locations of the surface regions of the air mattress body 50 formed with projections and depressions or patterns of the locations to be periodically changed. This may enable selection of the variations of the pressure switch mode best suited to users under various body conditions.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the air mattress body 50 is a three-layer air mattress obtained by stacking the lowermost air cells 51, the intermediate air cell 52, and the uppermost air cells 53 and 54. The lowermost air cells 51 extend along the width of the air mattress body 50, and are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the air mattress body 50. The single intermediate air cell 52 extends along the longitudinal direction of the air mattress body 50. Moreover, the uppermost air cells 53 and the uppermost air cells 54 are alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction of the air mattress body 50.

Here, the lowermost air cells 51 form a layer for handling a power outage. This layer serves to maintain the internal pressure of the mattress for a long period of time during a power outage. Specifically, the electromagnetic valve 16 is placed between the air cells 51 and the distribution valve 14, and opens or closes on reception of an open or close signal from the controller 11 during normal operation. On the other hand, the electromagnetic valve 16 functions to automatically close during a power outage so that air is not discharged from the air cells 51.

Furthermore, the intermediate air cell 52 forms a mattress thickness adjustment layer for adjusting the thickness of the air mattress body 50. Specifically, the thickness of the air cell 52 can be changed in the following manner: when the thickness of the air cell 52 should be increased, the air cell 52 is expanded by feeding air into the air cell 52 as illustrated in FIG. 2; and when the thickness of the air cell 52 should be reduced, the air cell 52 is deflated by preventing air from being fed into the intermediate air cell 52 under control of the opening and closing of the distribution valve 14 as illustrated in FIG. 3.

As such, the structure enabling adjustment of the mattress thickness can provide an air mattress comfortable to users under various body conditions in the following manner: when the user can roll over, the pressure of air to be fed into the air cell 52 is adjusted so that the mattress becomes thin enough to facilitate rolling over of the user; and when the user cannot roll over, the pressure of air to be fed into the air cell 52 is adjusted so that the mattress becomes thick enough to prevent bed sores.

Although, in this embodiment, the mattress thickness adjustment layer includes the single air cell 52, it is not limited to this structure. For example, air cells of two systems may be alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction of the air mattress body 50.

Moreover, the uppermost air cells 53 and 54 form a sleeping surface on which the user lies to sleep. The air cells 53 and 54 are switched between a rest mode and a pressure switch mode. In the rest mode, the surface of the air mattress body 50 becomes generally flat. In the pressure switch mode, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the surface of the air mattress body 50 is formed with projections and depressions, and the internal pressures of the air cells 53 and 54 are changed once every predetermined time interval so that expansion and deflation of the each of the air cells 53 and 54 are alternately repeated.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of keys of the entry control panel 20. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the entry control panel 20 is divided into two regions, i.e., a region located to the left of generally the longitudinal middle of the entry control panel 20 and a region located to the right thereof. The left region corresponds to an entry region 21 (an assessment and fitting setting region) through which the operator enters the user's body conditions as directed by the panel display. The right region corresponds to a change region 24 (a manual setting region) through which the operator manually changes the operation of the air mattress body 50.

Specifically, the left region of the entry control panel 20, i.e., the entry region 21, includes various entry keys 22 for entering the user's body information, and display panels 23 for displaying options selected through the entry keys 22.

Furthermore, the right region of the entry control panel 20, i.e., the change region 24, includes various selection keys 25 through which the operator manually selects operating modes of the air mattress body 50, display panels 26 for displaying options selected through the selection keys 25, a power key 27 for turning the power on or off, a lock key 28 for locking the selection keys 25 to prevent settings of the operating modes of the air mattress body 50 from being changed due to incorrect operation of the selection keys 25, and an alarm display panel 29 for displaying a warning message indicating, e.g., a failure. Display lamps are located near upper right regions of the power key 27 and lock key 28, respectively, to indicate the operating status of the air mattress.

The various entry keys 22, display panels 23 and 26, and selection keys 25 of the entry control panel 20 will be described hereinafter in detail.

The entry region 21 includes “ability to roll over (movability),” “body shape (degree of bone projection),” “contracture,” “edema,” “pain,” “bed sore,” and “sweat” keys in left-to-right order as illustrated in FIG. 5. Every time one of these entry keys 22 is pressed, the selected option is illuminated on the corresponding display panel 23 located upwardly of the pressed entry key 22, thereby visually identifying currently selected body information.

The “ability to roll over (movability)” key is used to select whether or not the user can roll over by himself or herself. The display panels 23 indicating options corresponding to the “ability to roll over (movability)” key indicate “yes,” “yes and no,” and “no” options in top-to-bottom order.

The “body shape (degree of bone projection)” key is used to select the body shape of the user. The display panels 23 indicating options corresponding to the “body shape (degree of bone projection)” key indicate “fat,” “normal,” and “slim” options.

The “contracture” key is used to select the presence or absence of deformity of the user's body. The display panels 23 indicating options corresponding to the “contracture” key indicate “no” and “yes” options.

The “edema” key is used to select the presence or absence of swelling in the user's body. The display panels 23 indicating options corresponding to the “edema” key indicate “no” and “yes” options.

The “pain” key is used to select whether or not the user is feeling pain. The display panels 23 indicating the options corresponding to the “pain” key indicate “no” and “yes” options.

The “bed sore” key is used to select whether or not the user is currently suffering from bed sores. The display panels 23 indicating options corresponding to the “bed sore” key indicate “no” and “yes” options.

The “sweat” key is used to select the amount of sweat produced by the user. The display panels 23 indicating options corresponding to the “sweat” key indicate “no,” “small,” and “large” options.

The entry keys 22 and display panel 23 indicating the user's body conditions as illustrated in FIG. 5 are merely exemplary. The number of the options may be reduced. Alternatively, an entry key 22 serving as a new criterion may be added to the above-described entry keys 22.

On the other hand, the change region 24 includes “assist,” “dehumidification,” “hardness,” “operation,” and “thickness” keys in left-to-right order as illustrated in FIG. 5. Every time one of these selection keys 25 is pressed, the selected option is illuminated on the corresponding display panel 26 located upwardly of the pressed selection key 25, thereby visually identifying currently selected operating modes.

The “assist” key is used when the user wishes to sit up. The display panels 26 indicating options corresponding to the “assist” key indicate “back raising,” “rehabilitation,” and “no” options. When the “back raising” option is selected through this “assist” key, the hardness of the air mattress body 50 is adjusted by increasing the internal pressures of the air cells 51-54, resulting in a harder mattress. This adjustment increases the stability of the air mattress body 50. Thus, when the user is to sit up, this stability increase makes it easy for the user to sit up.

The “dehumidification” key is used when the user has sweated. The display panels 26 indicating options corresponding to the “dehumidification” key indicate “full,” “half,” and “no” options. This “dehumidification” key is used, depending on the amount of sweat produced by the user. For example, when the amount of sweat produced by the user is large, i.e., when the “large” option is selected through the “sweat” key of the entry keys 22, control is set to select the “full” option corresponding to the “dehumidification” key. This increases the speed of dehumidification. Furthermore, when the “small” option is selected through the “sweat” key, control is set to select the “half” option corresponding to the “dehumidification” key. The speed of dehumidification becomes lower than that when the “full” option is selected. Moreover, when the “no” option is selected through the “sweat” key, control is set to select the “no” option corresponding to the “dehumidification” key. This allows the air supply from the dehumidifier 15 into the air mattress body 50 to stop.

The “hardness” key is used to adjust the hardness of the air mattress body 50. The “hardness” key is used to adjust the hardness of the air mattress body 50. The display panels 26 indicating options corresponding to the “hardness” key indicate “hard,” “normal,” and “soft” options.

The “operation” key is used to selectively switch the operating mode of the air cells 51-54 between a rest mode and a pressure switch mode. The display panels 26 indicating options corresponding to the “operation” key indicate “rest” and “pressure switch” options.

The “thickness” key is used to select whether or not air is to be fed into the intermediate air cell 52. The display panels 26 indicating options corresponding to the “thickness” key indicate “thin” and “thick” options. Selection of an option corresponding to this “thickness” key depends on whether or not the user can roll over by himself or herself. Specifically, when the user can roll over, i.e., when the “yes” or “yes and no” option is selected through the “ability to roll over (movability)” key of the entry keys 22, control is set to select the “thin” option corresponding to the “thickness” key. Thus, the air supply into the intermediate air cell 52 is stopped to allow the air cell 52 to deflate. On the other hand, when the “no” option is selected through the “ability to roll over (movability)” key, control is set to select the “thick” option corresponding to the “thickness” key. Thus, air is fed into the intermediate air cell 52, thereby expanding the air cell 52.

An operation procedure of the air mattress controller 10 according to the present invention will be described hereinafter. First, an operator, such as a caregiver or a nurse, knows the user's current body conditions, and enters the user's current body conditions through various entry keys 22 on the entry region 21 of the entry control panel 20. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the “no,” “slim,” “yes,” “yes,” “yes,” “yes,” and “large” options are selected through the “ability to roll over (movability),” “body shape (degree of bone projection),” “contracture,” “edema,” “pain,” “bed sore,” and “sweat” keys, respectively.

Here, the risk of bed sores is calculated by the controller 11 based on the entered body information. Specifically, weights are assigned to settings of various body information. For example, when the user can roll over, the risk score is zero, and when the user cannot roll over, the risk score is three. In such a manner, the body conditions tending to cause bed sores are previously identified, and thus, a high score is assigned to body conditions carrying a high risk of bed sores. Thus, the risk of bed sores is determined as being “zero,” “low,” “medium,” or “high,” based on the sum of the risk scores of bed sores calculated from the following four options: “ability to roll over (movability),” “body shape (degree of bone projection),” “contracture,” and “edema.”

Furthermore, weights are not assigned to settings of the two “bed sore” and “pain” options, and determinations about these options are “yes” or “no.”

The body information about the three options indicating “determination of the risk of bed sores,” “whether or not the user is suffering from bed sores,” and “whether or not the user is feeling pain” is compared with a previously defined matrix table stored in the memory of the controller 11, thereby automatically determining settings of the options on the change region 24.

Specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the “soft” and “rest” options are automatically selected as options corresponding to the “hardness” and “operation” keys, respectively.

The “assist” key includes options selected by the operator independently of the body information. Although the “no” option is selected in FIG. 6, the operator can optionally change the selected option. Since the “large” option is selected through the “sweat” key, the “full” option is selected as an option corresponding to the “dehumidification” key. Since the “no” option is selected through the “ability to roll over (movability)” key, the “thick” option is selected as an option corresponding to the “thickness” key. Selection of options on the change region 24 is automatically determined based on the body information. However, the operator may optionally change the selected options by pressing the corresponding selection keys 25.

In another example illustrated in FIG. 7, the “yes,” “fat,” “no,” “no,” “no,” “no,” and “small” options are selected through the “ability to roll over (movability),” “body shape (degree of bone projection),” “contracture,” “edema,” “pain,” “bed sore,” and “sweat” keys, respectively. Therefore, the “normal” and “pressure switch” options are automatically selected as options corresponding to the “hardness” and “operation” keys, respectively.

The “assist” key includes options selected by the operator independently of the body information. Although the “no” option is selected in FIG. 7, the operator can optionally change the selected option. Since the “small” option is selected through the “sweat” key, the “half” option is selected as an option corresponding to the “dehumidification” key. Since the “yes” option is selected through the “ability to roll over (movability)” key, the “thin” option is selected as an option corresponding to the “thickness” key.

As described above, according to the air mattress controller 10 of the embodiment of the present invention, the pressures of air to be fed into the air cells 51-54 are selected based on the body information indicating the user's body conditions. This enables careful selection of the air pressure of the air mattress body 50 in response to the user's body conditions, and can provide an air mattress body 50 which is comfortable to every user. Specifically, if the situations where the user is feeling pain in his or her joints and the user has developed bed sores are imagined, the user's body conditions include various symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Even when the air mattress having the determined hardness is comfortable to air mattress users experiencing mild symptoms, it may increase the severity of bed sores developing in users experiencing severe symptoms. However, according to the present invention, for example, when the operator enters user's various body information (such as whether or not the user is suffering from contracture, whether or not the user is suffering from edema, and whether or not the user is suffering from bed sores) through the entry control panel 20, the risk of bed sores is determined based on the body information. This enables automatic adjustment of the air mattress body 50, for example, as follows: the pressure of air to be fed to the air mattress body 50 is selected based on the body conditions so that the option indicating the mattress hardness is changed to the “soft” option.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the present invention has the practical advantage that the pressure of air to be fed to an air mattress can be selected appropriately for each of air mattress users under various body conditions, and therefore, is very useful and industrially applicable. 

1. An air mattress controller for feeding air into a plurality of air cells forming an air mattress body, the air mattress controller comprising: an entry controller for entering body information indicating body conditions of a user; an air pressure selector for selecting the pressure of air to be fed into each of the air cells, based on the body information entered through the entry controller; and an air feeder for feeding air into each of the air cells at the air pressure selected by the air pressure selector.
 2. The air mattress controller of claim 1 further comprising a calculator for calculating a risk of bed sores indicating whether or not the user tends to develop bed sores, based on the body information entered through the entry controller, wherein the air pressure selector selects the pressure of air to be fed into each of the air cells, based on the risk of bed sores calculated by the calculator, thereby adjusting the hardness of the air mattress body.
 3. The air mattress controller of claim 1 further comprising an operating mode selector switch for selectively switching between a rest mode where air is fed into the air cells at generally a same pressure so that a surface of the air mattress body becomes generally flat, and a pressure switch mode where while air is fed into the plurality of air cells at different pressures so that the surface of the air mattress body is formed with projections and depressions, the pressures of air to be fed into the plurality of air cells are changed once every predetermined time interval to periodically change locations of surface regions of the air mattress body which are formed with the projections and the depressions, wherein the operating mode selector switch selects one of the rest mode and the pressure switch mode based on the body information.
 4. The air mattress controller of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of air cells forms a mattress thickness adjustment layer for adjusting the thickness of the air mattress body, the body information entered through the entry controller include rolling-over ability information indicating whether or not the user can roll over by himself or herself, when a determination is made based on the rolling-over ability information that the user can roll over, the air pressure selector selects a low air pressure as the pressure of air to be fed into the air cell forming the mattress thickness adjustment layer, and when a determination is made that the user cannot roll over, the air pressure selector selects a high air pressure as the pressure of air to be fed into the air cell forming the mattress thickness adjustment layer.
 5. The air mattress controller of claim 1 further comprising a dehumidifier for blowing air to a surface of the air mattress body or into the air mattress body to dehumidify the surface or interior of the air mattress body, wherein the body information entered through the entry controller include sweating information indicating an amount of sweat produced by the user, and the dehumidifier adjusts an amount of the air to be blown based on the sweating information. 